Atulon's Pass (Full)(Started!)

[Shapsters]

Zieg reached up and pat the horse on the nose, he pulled his hand back and eyed Orson,

"I'm Zieg..." he waited for a moment in silence, he knew that Orson was avoiding his question, "Y'know Orson, if you didn't want to answer my question, you could'a just said so."

Zieg's mother lightly smacked his head,

"I'm sorry about Zieg, you can't get much past him." she awkwardly chuckled, "I appreciate you talking Zieg, he has always been interested in soldiers, never got the chance to talk to one."

"I'm right here y'know mom, I can hear what you are saying."

Another light smack on the head and a pleasant smile from Zieg's mother.

 

[Sporky111]

"Don't worry about it." Orson said to the mother, "You've got a very sharp son."

"And I'm sorry for trying to trick you, Zeig. One of the things a soldier has to do is keep people confident that everything is going to be okay, so I really don't know the answer to your questions." The last part was an outright lie, but if Zeig did catch on maybe he would understand why Orson did it.

"I heard a rumor that Rinus will be letting you know what's happening later tonight. We'll have shelter and all that, too. You can hold out that long, can't you?" he gave a smile to hide his dread about the villagers' reactions.

 

[Yorgmiester]

The alloted hour passed, and the villagers were roused. A man was sent to fetch the rearguards. Here and there in the crowd a small child would cry softly, shivering the the cold. As all of the chilled bodies slowly rose up from the ground and moved about, heads were counted, and searches were made to make sure none lay dead. So far, the population still held at three-hundred and eleven, the same number of those whom had exited the city gates the morning before.

As the crowd bustled and shuffled about, gathering it's things and getting ready head out once more, Rinus stood at the head of the valley, staring at the road before them. Though his body remained somewhere deep in the Gullies, being buffeted by wind and snow, icicles dangling from the leather and steel of his armor, his mind was elsewhere.

He took a deep breath, and turned around to face the villagers as they gathered, ready to leave. As of with some great burden, the captain mounted his horse, nudging it into a slow canter up onto a small, rocky outcropping, where he could see the entire congregation, and they would hear his voice off the canyon walls.

It was still the early hours of the morning, and the sun had yet to rise above them, but he could still see their faces, by torchlight. he could see fear, and worry, and expectancy. Rinus was never a man for speeches, and he found himself loath to give one now. He had no idea what to say to these people.

"Men, women, children." he began, speaking slowly. "People of Highburn. You are no doubt wondering, why you are here." There was a long pause as he himself mulled over the question, not only considering the best way to present the answer, but what indeed that answer even was.

"The truth is, I don't know." he continued. "I have no idea. Why any of you should be here at this moment is beyond my comprehension. Whether it be by god or man, beast or spirit, I do not know, nor care to determine. For each of you I will leave the responsibility of trusting in fate, or chance."

"I do know one very good excuse for you being here, however." his voice became stronger, more punctual, and his speaking quickened. This was it. "As some of you know, and many have probably guessed, Highburn, your home, is in grave peril! Nay, more than that. It is besieged."

There was a great deal of sudden grumbling and talking, hurried whispers and frantic looks. Although the news was by no means unknown or unguessed to many of them, hearing it finally stated out loud was unnerving. There were no open tears, however, no yelling or anger. They were a strong folk, and would withstand hardship of either mental or physical ilk, at least for a while.

"Even now, a host of the enemy comes, up the Highburn valley and to the town." He refrained from describing in any more detail. Their minds could fill in the rest. "As you can see, it was necessary to evacuate, and now here we are. I cannot guarantee that we will not be followed. Our road is gravely uncertain, I will make no falsehood, but know this; that you are in unwaivering, unfaltering hands. You will not be abandoned."

 

[Yorgmiester]

The morning passed without much event. The only change in their surroundings was a steady inclination as the terrain rose towards the mountains. The only notable occurrence was the near injury of a young boy who's foot slipped and sent him sliding down a steep embankment. He survived with not but a sprained ankle, much to his mother's relief. She had not yet the heart to dwell on what kind of fate the boy now faced, his life having not been claimed by the merciful cliff face.

The sun rose somewhere beyond the eastern stones, and still the caravan hobbled through the Gullies. It had been six hours since their rest. Shilas assured them that they were nearing the Tower, but none could imagine it being any closer. As far as many were concerned, they would be trapped in this place forever, the gray rocks all about them and the gray sky above.

"It would seem that Shio now smiles on us." Rinus said to Samuel, commenting on the only good thing to happen since they embarked. High above them, the grayness of the sky was no longer close and impenetrable; it was far away, miles and miles above. The weather had finally cleared, and there would hopefully be a good view to be had from Rickety.

"If gods there be, they must be extremely fickle creatures."

"We've made it!" came an excited shout from ahead, around the nearest corner. Rinus spurred his horse into a trot.

They presently came upon a winding ravine which sloped steeply upwards. The cliffs on both sides grew gradually thinner towards the top until they all but disappeared. Up there was the exit to this hellish place. The villagers made good time, their salvation now in sight, and the valley was scaled in a matter of minutes. Rinus couldn't help but feel a pang of joy as he rose above the stolid stones of the Gullies and, for the first time in nearly a month, could see a very great distance. His eyes hungrily took in the scene around him, merely for the sake of being able to do so.

The opening of the ravine faced west, towards the mountains. Those mighty bastions of ice and rock were, of course, the first thing his eyes rested upon, as they took up his entire view. Right now they were half concealed by a thick layer of low-lying clouds that hung above... and yet the half that he could see still awed him. They were immense, gargantuan, godlike! He could barely comprehend that the open swath of bleak whiteness upon which his horse stood would eventually connect to the roots of those peaks. Even their bases, which was all he could see, stretched higher than any mountain he had ever witnessed. Viewing them from Highburn had been staggering, no doubt, but to gaze upon them from the perspective of standing at their very roots was breathtaking... and terrifying.

Shaking his head in awe, Rinus pulled his eyes away from the dominating spectacle, and surveyed the rest of his surroundings.

The mountains stretched as far as one could see to the north and south, their tops hidden by clouds. To the east was the opening they had just emerged through, and just north of that was Rickety Tower, set high atop a rocky knoll near the edge of the cliffs. It was an old, weathered ruin, looking even more forlorn and depressing than it had from a distance the day before. A crumbling wall surrounded it, crowning the knoll and creating a small courtyard within. The tower itself was only two-thirds there; the top was laying in pieces here and there about the courtyard. Jutting above the broken walls were the remains of the old spiral stairway, which continued precariously about a half a story above the rest of the structure.

Above all this was a vast blanket of gray clouds that covered the entire sky. The overcast was low and brooding, but the air below was clear, at least for the moment. The wind was still strong and snow still fell, but the blizzard appeared to be experiencing a lull. It was a good feeling, one that Rinus regretted he could not fully partake in.

Upon exiting the Gullies, most of the villagers rushed towards the Tower and the cliffs, in order to get a view of Highburn. Rinus did not stop them. There were some things he could not, and had not the right, to shield them from. They would have to see it sometime, and with any luck the majority of them would be strengthened in their resolve, rather than break down into despair.

~~~​

Buyir dismounted and approached the cliff's edge, apprehensive as to what he would see. Already a crowd of villagers stood there, staring down into Highburn Valley. Most seemed frozen in fear, turned to stone by some spell, while others slowly began to sob, clutching at their loved ones. Others simply turned their faces away.

"The gods protect us." he said gently to a young woman as he passed, in an attempt to comfort her. His smile faded as he himself looked out into the valley, turning into an expression of shock.

Though Highburn was now a great distance away, some of it's features could still be recognized; the wall surrounding it, the buildings within, the farmhouses and pastures around. Several things were drastically different this time, however... the first and foremost being the town was almost completely destroyed.

The outer wall was intact, yet charred and blackened. It leaned outwards slightly, as if some force from behind had pushed against it. The buildings within were all but destroyed; burned to the ground, their frames all that was left. Towards the middle of the town there was almost nothing remaining, not even stones or the ruins of taverns. All was utterly destroyed, and a great pillar of black smoke rose high into the dismal heavens.

"By the gods..." Buyir started to say, and then checked himself, glancing at the villagers around him. They knew little of war, and thus the terrible spectacle was just that; a terrible spectacle. They knew not what to expect. For all they guessed, this could be what every invasion looked like.

But Buyir was a soldier, and knew better. There was no reason for the Easterners to have burnt Highburn to the ground. Armies who did that were called barbarian rabbles, and they seldom achieved such grandeur as to successfully invade a realm like the Empire. An experienced and well-ordered army like that of The Enemy would take every advantage they could out of the village once they had captured it, preserving as much valuable real estate as possible, especially if it was to eventually become a part of their own empire.

Buyir's eyes clouded over as he frowned, an expression not commonly found on his cheery face. He closely examined the huge enemy camp that surrounded the now ruined town, searching for movement. His sharp eyes caught a few small groups wandering through the forests, but none close enough to pose any danger... yet.

Slowly he turned and walked back through the crowd, walking briskly over to where Rinus was dismounting and giving orders to set up camp near the Tower. "Captain, you're going to want to see this."

 

[The Hairminator]

"Why would they even do that?" Yan's voice was terrified, and little more than a whisper, yet it seemed to echo loudly in the silence that reigned on the cliffs. Yan had problems taking his eyes off the scene, although there was nothing he would rather have wanted than to look away and forget.

He finally turned away from the ruins of Highburn, only to face the mourning villagers. What kind of humans would do this? This was no conventional war, it was extermination. Yan also felt a stab of fear in that moment. After seeing what the easteners had done to the town, he had no doubt that they would go after its population.

 

[Shapsters]

Aryana put her hand to her mouth when she saw the condition of Highburn, it came as a shock to see what was once a busy village reduced to such rubble. The intention of the men was unknown to her, what was their motive? What did they gain from destroying the village besides the satisfaction of destroying the homes of so many people? She was worried, if the men took the time to destroy and entire village, they would no doubt turn their efforts into destroying the occupants.

Aryana didn't feel like looking at the sad state of the village any longer, she turned and walked away from the cliff edge. Approaching Felon, who as usual was silently standing in the snow, she made an attempt to spark conversation,

"Have you ever seen or even heard of such a thing? Highburn is completely destroyed, what could the motive of this army possibly be?" Aryana was usually hesitant about talking to Felon for his overbearing religious beliefs could be frustrating, but she wanted the opinion of someone who might have a different perspective, "I cant seem to figure what their motives might be besides pure evil..."

 

[Sporky111]

Orson was unmoving as he stared in horror at the destroyed town. It had been his home as much as the villagers, and he couldn't believe that it was really gone. All his preparation, all the time he had known that the town would be beset by the army couldn't have prepared him for this. He had expected looting, maybe a conversion to a fort, but not outright destruction.

Tears formed at the edges of his eyes as he forgot all about being a soldier, about looking strong for the villagers, about inspiring confidence. That world was torn away as all his memories of that town flooded back to him.

 

[Lost In The Void]

Felon jerked from his thoughts, turning to see Aryana standing beside him in the snow. He had seen the village, the smoldering ruins of a once prosperous town, reduced to ashes. He closed his eyes, making Aryana wait. He did this to partially irritate her, but mostly because he knew she could be an impatient person and he wanted to teach her patience. He muttered a soft prayer, "To those the graceful dead, may you feast with the Gods."

 

[Shapsters]

This was precisely why Aryana rarely talked to Felon. If he wasn't ignoring people and being generally rude, he was muttering some sort of nonsensical prayer. Right now he was doing both so Aryana was less than pleased. She waited a moment before responding to his mutterings, trying to figure out why exactly he responded the way he did. There was always the possibility that he didn't properly hear her, but she spoke loud enough for him to hear and he acknowledged her presence. Could he be trying to teach her some sort of a lesson about humility or patience? He was always one who felt he was in some sort of position to be teaching people lessons, even when the other person had casual or friendly intentions,

"Pardon? Did you hear me and choose to just ignore me or perhaps you didn't hear me?" Aryana figured she would take one last shot at being friendly, albeit a little sarcastic, she leaned in close to Felons ear, "I'll say again: Have you ever seen or even heard of such a thing? Highburn is completely destroyed, what could the motive of this army possibly be?"

 

[Lost In The Void]

Felon smiled slowly as Aryana responded to his silence, "Peace," he said, "I hear you. One must honour those who have died to give us more time."

He straightened up and looked at Aryana, "The motive of this army is fear. It is obvious that they care not for the spoils of war, but only seek the destruction of others. This is not an army with honour, if there be any honour in war. These are barbarians and we should pity them."

 

[Shapsters]

There is always some sort of backhanded religious bullshit in everything he says

"So you think the only reason they are doing this is to strike fear into the hearts of the villagers? There is no motive other than that?" Aryana crossed her arms, she couldn't help but to get worked up when talking to him, and yet she knew he would show no emotion, "Pity? You want me to pity these men? I can assure you Felon that pity is the last thing I am giving these men."

 

[Lost In The Void]

"And why Aryana?" Felon prepared for a lengthly debate with the strong headed woman. It was a good trait to have most of the time, but sometimes made it difficult to reason with her, "Do we know why these soldiers are here? Do we know what drives these men to commit the atrocities that they do? And do we know whether it is their choice to do this?"

Felon looked back at the smoldering village, "I pity them because they will die, bitter and as not soldiers, but murderers, there is no seat at the God's table for them and so I pity them."

 

[Shapsters]

"I do see where you are coming from, who am I to judge why these men are doing what they do? Perhaps they are in some sort of situation where they are forced to do the things they do. Despite this, I can't help but to think that is not the case, men in that situation would not reduce the city to such a state, there is something about it that tells me they enjoyed destroying those homes."

Aryana was starting to gain a slight bit of respect for Felon, she was not unreasonable and could certainly understand the point he was trying to make. That was when he mentioned 'gods table'. Aryana had a certain respect for religion, she understood that it helped people cope in difficult situations and for a lot of people is a helpful and essential thing in their lives. That being said, when religion, god or faith is being brought up seemingly every time someone opens their mouth, she tends to grow tired of it,

"And what if, hypothetically speaking, you don't take gods table into account, do you still pity them? What if these men do no believe in god, enjoy what they do and care not what happens to them after they die. Then do you pity them?"

 

[Lost In The Void]

They were beginning to see eye to eye, something that Felon hadn't expected to see so soon. It was interesting and her questions and answers were both becoming inquisitive, rather than accusative, "I would pity them even more than I already do..."

Felon turned from the burning village to face Aryana again, "To me, though I know not to you, not knowing the Gods is a worse punishment. To face a void and welcome that is disrespectful of the life that you were given. There is no worse sin than to reject the breathe that was given to you."

 

[Yorgmiester]

Lera stared at the ruined town in horror, slowly backing away from the cliff. Fighting to maintain her composure she swiftly retreated from the crowd, walking hurriedly away from the others. She passed horses and wagons, men unloading packs of meat and elderly huddled in circles, staring up at her with questioning eyes. Everywhere her eyes turned, the people were looking to her for strength and support; she had none to offer.

Rounding one of the wagons, Lera hurriedly concealed herself, pressing her body up against the cart's side and taking the moment of isolation to get control of herself. Tears were welling up in her eyes, threatening to overflow. She was fighting the urge to break down into sobbing right then and there. Her stomach churned, and she tasted bile.

"Lera," Cossan appeared from around the corner of the wagon, speaking gruffly as usual "we could use some help over here." Then he was gone, oblivious to her state.

Taking a long, deep breath, Lera controlled herself and wiped the tears from her eyes. Then she steeled her nerves and went to help the others with setting up camp.

~~~​

Rinus fixed the smoldering Highburn with steel eyes, scrutinizing it with voracious attention to detail, attempting to glean from it's ruin any details that could be found. The town was destroyed, that much was clear. By what he could not tell, but fire had undoubtedly been involved. The Easterners were now camped in a wide circle around the ruins, several thousand strong. An increasing number of roving war-bands were milling about in the forests and hills, clearly searching for something. It had Rinus worried.

"Have any of them come close to our path?" he asked Buyir, who stood next to him at the top of the Tower. Buyir had been up there since they arrived, watching the Enemy intently.

"Yes, very close." Buyir replied acidly, his hate for the Easterners clear in his voice. "But our trail is well concealed, and we took a clever path. I doubt they'll be smart enough to discover our way."

Rinus sighed. "Don't be too hasty to label them fools, Buyir. They may be misinformed and indoctrinated by cruel gods and false teachings, but they are not all stupid. They've not come this far by pure numbers and strength alone."

This far? What's "this far"? Why would an army this large even attack Highburn?

"Bah, you are too respecting of a vile race." Buyir retorted. "They can all- what was that?"

Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by a shrill, terrified scream.

~~~​

Iemben Fnol, the town's doctor, rushed towards the disturbance. The scream had not come from the cliffs, nor from the edge of camp, and so the problem was neither shock at Highbrun's condition nor an attack. Rather it came from near the center, where the families with small children had gathered.

"Make way! Make way!" Iemben yelled, pushing through other villagers and leaping over obstructions. The medical kit in his hand flew about haphazardly in the air, his glasses bobbed up and down on his nose, his unkempt locks jostled this way and that. Behind him, his wife Beni carried a large bundle of blankets and a large container of heated water.

"Make way!" he repeated as he came upon the source of the scream. There sat Ellie, her young daughter next to her, her baby cradled in her arms. The woman was sobbing, crying, screaming something inaudible and staring at her infant child. The husband was nowhere to be seen; probably helping with the other men.

"What's wrong?" Iemben asked in his smooth, flat, doctor's voice, as he knelt beside the hysterical woman and began to open his medical kit.

"He's not breathing!" she had yelled almost before he had even asked the question. "He's not breathing, oh god's no! Doctor he's not breathing! He's not breathing!" She was nearing the point of madness, clutching the babe to her face and squeezing him. The word's "he's not breathing" sprawled out of her trembling mouth over and over again.

"Let me see him." Iemben said, gently but forcefully, pulling the baby out of her grasp. By now a small crowd had gathered. Fredrick arrived at a dead run, his eyes taking in the picture and assessing the situation immediately. He dove to his wife's side, holding her tightly as she broke down into violent sobbing.

"Please... please..." Iemben muttered as he held the baby, checking his pulse and feeling his temperature. "Beni, blanket!" The blanket was in his hands before he had finished speaking, and the babe was quickly wrapped in it. Water came next, but the doctor was already losing faith. The child had no pulse, and his skin was turning dark blue. Warmth was swiftly leaving the tiny body of Fredrick and Ellie's son. Twenty agonizing seconds went by, the doctor's frantic breathing and Ellie's hysterical crying the only sounds. The villagers gathered around were frozen in shock and fear, their town's destruction temporarily forgotten.

Finally the doctor ceased his efforts, simply staring at the baby in what those of his profession would call "hope treatment". It did not succeed. Iemben let out a heavy, frustrated sigh, and bent his head in distress.

"He is dead. I am sorry."

~~~​

Rinus got to the scene just as the mother let out a long, anguished, bone-chilling wail. A mass of villagers quickly converged on the parents, comforting them and crying along with them. Rinus caught glimpse of a woman, her face etched in a timeless and horrible grimace of pain and horror, clutching desperately at the lifeless body of her son, and a husband, bent double in grief, tears flowing from his eyes, his arms wrapped tightly around his love. Next to them stood a young girl, the boy's sister, her eyes wide with fear, tugging at her mother's dress and begging to know what was happening.

The Captain turned away, his eyes wet, a pain springing up within his chest. This should not happen.

"He finally succumbed to the cold." the doctor said quietly, appeared beside Rinus. "It was as simply as that. There was nothing we could do."

Rinus said nothing. He simply nodded his head, staring off into the distance, his eyes unseeing. Behind him he could still here the heartbroken crying and the desperate words of comfort; the choked apologies and heated curse of hate towards the gods. All around him, mothers clutched their children close, and young ones began to cry.

And he forced himself to listen.

~~~​

Doctor Iemben Fnol is 34 years old, and Highburn's "official doctor", the one who treats all the injuries, hacks off all the infected limbs, and gives out all the special herbs and medical advice. He is a thin man, with the musculature of someone who doesn't get much practical exercise, but tries his best to remain fit in his spare time. He has wavy blonde hair and a usually clean-shaven face, with pale blue eyes and a long nose. He wears spectacles, which are a commodity for most people, and dresses smart, despite his relatively low income as a small town physician. His wife, Beni, is his personal assistant and a very strong woman, both in arm and wit, always ready with whatever effects he may need.

 

[The Hairminator]

If the gods existed, Yan wasn't sure he wanted anything to do with them. Not after the last few day's events, and now this. He did feel hate, however, a feeling largely unknown to him. Hate against the enemy, but most of all; hate against these damn mountains.

Yan turned away from the scene, too many and too strong feelings were building up. Sooner or later they would make themselves known. For the first time in his adult life Yan felt like just giving up, sit down and cry for his unlucky faith. But he didn't, if the villagers saw the collapse of a soldier he knew they would loose what little hope they might have had. All would be lost.

He gazed over at Felon and Aryana, he would have liked to talk to her in a moment like this, perhaps to relieve his own stress, but the presence of the highly religious man made him reconsider approaching them. Felon would surely write this off as an act of some kind of divine mercy, and it was with both his own and the religious man's physical safety in mind he chose not to go. Instead Yan turned and went to help Cossan and Lera, among with others, to help set up the camp.

 

[Quad08]

Samuel stood away from the others at the camp, marching around the perimeter to ensure no one was following them. He heard the cries and the wailing...the first of many he suspected. This was a fight for survival now and the possibility of everyone making it through unscarred was slim at best.

He watched Rinus from the tree line where he now stood, seeing the pained expression on his face. The man was a good commander but he took things to directly, to emotionally. There were more lives at stake here and if they didn't get moving...

He sighed and shook his head. A gruff old solider who had lived to long, thats what he was now. Holding his weapon tight, he continued his patrol

 

[Yorgmiester]

Rinus fought back the feelings of dread that filled him. he was a battle-hardened soldier, a commander, a leader. He had not earned his rank through being soft-hearted and weak. Yet among the countless deaths that he had witnessed, few affected him like this one had. Not only had most of them been adult men, sworn to battle and sworn to the risk of death, but a majority had been by his own hand. He usually had control over who lived and who died; when someone around him passed on, whether they be friend or foe, it was usually by his doing, somehow. Now he felt powerless.

Rinus straightened and shook his head, clearing his thoughts and bringing himself back to the present. It seemed cold and ruthless to not grieve at a time like this, but he wasn't being paid to be sad. He was being paid to be sad and not show it. He was being paid to suppress his feelings. He was being paid to go insane.

All soldiers were at least a tad crazy. The one that couldn't deal with that fact were the ones who died.

"Alright, men, time for a meeting. Inside the Tower, five minutes."

~~~​

The inside of Rickety Tower was not much different from the outside. Old, crumbling, distraught. The walls leaned inward, and although this was due to the building's design, not age, it still gave a precarious feel. There was only one room, with the spiral stairs built into the wall. The floor was littered with square stones, ancient pieces of the roof. They made for good sitting, at least.

The entire unit was there, with the exception of Krin and Seiben, who had volunteered to be the ones to keep watch around the perimeter. Rinus sat on a large square stone near the middle; Ravius sat two stories up, at the top of the stairs, keeping an eye on the enemy camp. The others were gathered here and there about the room, some on the ground, some standing, some sitting on the flat stones. Shilas was also present, as was Doctor Iemben, and Dalder Morris.

"So, here we are." Rinus began "We've 'successfully' made it out of Highburn, whatever that means. As most of you know, we now number three-hundred and ten. I suspect more casualties are imminent." He glanced at the doctor as he said this, and Iemben nodded gravely.

"Unfortunately our plans, or at least my plans, only take us this far." The captain leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. His hands clasped in front of him, rubbing out the soreness that seemed to be ever-present in his bones.

"Beyond Rickety, I know not where to turn. Falkin is destroyed, so our original orders are rendered useless. We are in dire straits, on that I think we can all agree. The fate of all Highburn's people rests on the decisions of this meeting. We must decide what our next move is to be." Pulling out a map of the region, he placed it on the stone in front of him.

"The first thing I would like to bring to attention is Lus."

~~~​

 

[Shapsters]

Aryana was about to continue her conversation, she didn't like the fact that she was 'pitied' by Felon and was going to defend her lack of faith when she heard the cry. A chill ran down her back and she quickly turned her head toward the crowd, cutting the conversation short she slowly walked toward the centre of the large gathering.

She walked out of the crowd with a blank expression on her face, she was, for lack of a better word, speechless. She had seen deaths before sure but there was something about this death that bothered her. Perhaps it was the fact it was such a young child who had passed, or perhaps it was because this child was the first to die out of what will most likely be many from this village. Whatever it was, Aryana was disturbed and she couldn't help but to be overwhelmed by emotions. She had already cried once on this short journey and would not allow herself to do it again, but her emotions were starting to get the best of her.

She removed her helmet and her hood. Aryana let the cold, harsh wind bite her face and bring her back to her senses, she needed to pull herself together. How were the villagers expected to stay strong if Aryana was crying over the death of one child? And yet, what kind of a person would Aryana have to be to not be affected by this death? So innocent, so young, lost forever in the blank, white wilderness.

*****************

Aryana leaned against the wall in the corner of the tower, her face showed no signs of the emotions going on inside. Thoughts of death, thoughts of love and worst of all for her, thoughts of Yan swam around in her head. The death of the young baby had awoken something inside her, something emotional that she had sworn to hide away and she couldn't help but to feel that even in these dire circumstances, she should act upon them.

She remained silent.

 

[Quad08]

Samuel leaned forward to take a look at the map that Rinus was referring to, taking a look at the roughly drawn images and indicators of towns, mountains and bodies of water.

"Are you planning on having us march there?"

He asked Rinus, assuming the answer would be 'Yes'.

The town would most likely offer much supplies, and possibly a day of rest but they would most likely pick up more people...the amount they already had was problematic enough and it didn't help that they had invaders on there tails